Should a drummer be expected to count back in after a pause?

[OldDirtyBassist]

On the pausing thing..just watch for him to come back in.

On the fills..IMO a drummer should click the hi hat where the snare would normally be, when he/she is doing fills. Listen to that hi hat, and you won't be confused.

 

[groooooove]

you should be subdividing.

think and feel 8ths or 16th notes, depending on the tempo.

if a drummer counts out loud during a rest i'd chalk that up to the "poor musicianship" tally. same with someone not subdividing and coming in on time- it's not hard, just practice always feeling a faster pulse (8ths will usually be fine) than you're playing.

 

[goldenglory18]

As much as it pains me to say this: the drummer is %100 correct.

Yep.

 

[atheos]

Count-ins can make the whole band sound amateurish from the audience point of view so the less counting, the better. If your band plays with a click you could get yourself a wireless in-ear monitoring and have some click there. Otherwise just practice, practice and practice more. And yes, you SHOULD be counting.

 

[dalkowski]

Sorry, but it's totally on you, not your drummer. You should be counting, no two ways about it. Devote yourself to getting better -- it's really all about focus and concentration. You can do this.

 

[Dave W]

I loathe (LOATHE!!!) when drummers do some kind of click during a pause. If the band is tight you shouldn't need any cue to all come back in together.

 

[twocargar]

Look at the drummer, you'll see when he is about to hit something after the break and that way you have a visual cue to back up your own counting of the time. This is also useful for song endings where you may have a ritardando or a delayed last note/snare hit.

This. ^^

I'm a foot tapper (to keep time), so it definitely helps too. I have to add that my bass playing greatly improved when I got a drum kit and starred playing. Keeping a simple beat to songs my band played helped me with my timing, ti-MING, TI-ming.

 

[joenoone]

This. ^^

I'm a foot tapper (to keep time), so it definitely helps too.

Same here, but I played in an orchestra or band all through public school (and some in college) and the conductor/leader never signals you when you need to come in - you are responsible for counting out the measures of rest.

In Jr. High they didn't have Orchestra so I played Bass Clarinet and often it was 5 measures playing, 20+ measures resting so I got REALLY good at counting. If nothing else you should be able to feel the beat and know when each measure starts. If it's rock the measures are [almost always] 4 beats a measure (4/4 time), and sections (e.g. verses/choruses) are generally 16 measures each. Once you're comfortable with that you'll be great.

As a bassist you need to anticipate the section changes and do a turnaround (or walk up/down) to transition to the next part, like the drummer often does as well. I have played bass at a local church for a long time now and the praise leader (keyboardist) has often complemented the drummer and I on how we transition parts and runs so well he almost doesn't have to memorize the chord charts and always knows when we're at the end of a section. Bass/Drums are the rhythm section - the metronome for the band.

 

[FretNoMore]

I played the clarinet as a kid and it was often the third voice, with just a few squeeks in the whole piece. So you had better count and know when to come in.

 

[DwaynieAD]

depends. either way, quit using the drummer as a crutch and learn your timing.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Upon a further review, this question should be re-worded as the following:

"Is it okay for me not to keep my own time?"

If that question doesn't answer itself, go get a case beer and start thinking of new hobbies.

 

[hover]

You should be counting or looking, at least. Counting is better, but eye contact is integral.

If it's going to spoil the setup to give a hat-chik on the beat before...I don't see the issue with a cue if there's a ton of people onstage, otherwise, a subtle look / nod works fine.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

RESTS, they are called RESTS. And rests are notes, too. They are part of the music, not its absence.

Even with a fermata, the time stream doe not stop.

 

[rtav]

I think it depends, but at the very least your drummer should queue everyone else when to come back in - a head nod, a single beat - something!

 

[xUptheIronsx]

Count AND watch him. I am sure that he is moving to the pulse if he has a click going on. Unless he is being perfectly still for some reason, you can count and use the visual as well.

 

[HolmeBass]

Maybe get some of the click in your monitor/IEMs?

 

[xUptheIronsx]

I played the clarinet as a kid and it was often the third voice, with just a few squeeks in the whole piece. So you had better count and know when to come in.

sort of like percussion too

 

[FretNoMore]

You should be counting or looking, at least. Counting is better, but eye contact is integral.
...

Definitely. Looking at each other, communicating on stage, is essential. To get small cues for starting a song, whether there will be two or three solos this time, before ending a song, right before a break etc. I communicate with the drummer so I know this is the last repeat before the end, to agree it's this solo we do the syncopation, the singer raises his hand to signal the bridge is coming up after the solo, and so on. As a bass player I need to know because I'll be leading with different runs depending on if it's one more solo or if it's a bridge etc, and the format might change from last time if the guitarist feels like an extra solo for instance.

And apart from having this function I think it probably looks better to the audience that we look and smile at each other on stage rather than stare at the floor or the fretboard.

 

[prater]

Hi.

EDIT: Forgot to reply Your question: "beep, he/she shouldn't"

I have played my whole life in bands that I consider mediocre at best.
Except for one band that could've been considered as therapy for washed up wannabe rockers, if someone has not been able to hold the beat, be that a bassplayer, guitarist, drummer, vocalist, heck, the odd "volunteer" with a egg shaker, they're out.
Plain and simple.



You have hope then, just practice.



He is a kind person.
VERY kind.
No-one I know would brush it off like that.



IMO for anything other than learning/practising complex rythms, click is a crutch that should be avoided like a plague.

Regards
Sam

I agree with all of this, we do way better on the songs we don't use a click on but we practice with one when we first work with a song.

I know he is trying to teach me, and he has done a great job, his drumming is different from any drummer I've ever played with in that he uses his hi hat very minimally. It has forced me to work harder and listen for different things.

When he throws me off its on purpose, he'll do something like switch to half time or double time for a few seconds and watch to see if I fumble. It is all in good fun but sometimes it gets frustrating.

I have found that he plays more straightforward if he doesn't have a click. I do need to work on the rhythm and I am. This is my first band so I'm still learning the dynamic of playing with other people.

 

[prater]

This. ^^

I'm a foot tapper (to keep time), so it definitely helps too. I have to add that my bass playing greatly improved when I got a drum kit and starred playing. Keeping a simple beat to songs my band played helped me with my timing, ti-MING, TI-ming.

I do better when I move around and nod/bang my head or swing back and forth.